1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for a drive energy source for an electric vehicle.
In particular, this invention relates to a drive energy source for an electric vehicle which includes means for detections an emergency condition of the vehicle in order to avoid the damages due to the high voltages of the battery source.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
An electric vehicle needs to have a high voltage source for driving a load of the vehicle sufficiently.
In order to get a sufficient drive energy, the energy source of the electric vehicle uses a high voltage battery apparatus in which a plurality of battery elements are connected in series.
A conventional petrol engine car uses an electric power source of a relatively low voltage, like 12 or 24 volts. On the other hand, an energy source for an electric vehicle needs much higher voltage of several hundreds voltage, like 200 or 400 volts.
Such an energy source of a high voltage and of a heavy current is very dangerous and there are some possibility of occurrence of a car fire or human damages caused by sparks or an electric shock due to the short circuit of the high voltage source.
For preventing such severe damages, the battery source of an electric vehicle is usually covered by insulating protection cover means in order to protect a person from an electric shock or a car fire due to a high voltage spark of the electric energy source.
During a normal operating condition, such protection cover means can keep a person or a car itself in safety.
However, once the protection cover means has broken in an emergency, like a car accident or a car crash, the energy apparatus becomes very dangerous one.
When the protection cover has broken and a conductive part or conductive wires are exposed during an emergency condition, the battery energy source again turns to a dangerous weapon for giving a person an electric shock or a car fire.